Governor Whitmer returned to "Mojo In The Morning" where she has been regularly using the Detroit radio show's airwaves to update Michigan residents on the state's COVID-19 response. In addition to detailing plans for the entire state to move to "phase 4" of the reopening plan, the Governor answered to the criticism of hair salons and barbershops not being included in the latest businesses to reopen.
One of Mojo's listeners who asked the Governor a question was Mike Sarafa, who called on behalf of hairstylists. He asked Whitmer if she would like to apologize for her suggestion in Monday's press conference that instead of driving to Ohio for a haircut, Michigan residents could "Google how to do a haircut, or throw your hair in a ponytail or curl it and get through the next couple of weeks." Sarafa noted that the Michigan has over 100,000 licensed barbers and cosmetologists who may have been "riled up" by her comment.
The Governor made this apology: "I made an offhand comment that if you needed a trim, you can Google it. I didn't mean to offend people who are in that profession. I think that is important, I think that it is licensed for a reason. These are professionals who take it seriously and intimately interact with the public and that's why we have to take this very seriously about how we proceed to keep people safe... the professionals in this field and their customers and their families. So if my comment offended anyone, I apologize for that."
Gov. Whitmer went on to explain that haircuts will be permitted in parts of Michigan in the coming days, adding: "This is one of those services that is up close and personal and that's why we take it so seriously. It's my fervent hope that in the coming days and weeks we are going to be as back to normal as we can be until we have a vaccine and that includes haircuts."
Whitmer also laid out a series of detailed policy plans for police reform in Michigan and voiced support for police training on implicit bias and de-escalation techniques. She said, "It's important that we not just acknowledge this moment. We talk about George Floyd but that we show what can we do to start to remedy what people are experiencing in America today."